28.09.2025 10:10
The leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, made new statements regarding his proposal for a Turkey-Russia-China alliance, which he named the "TRÇ alliance." Stating that "we know what we are doing," Bahçeli emphasized, "Turkey should not be the implementer of regional and global projects put forward by others, but rather must be the leading actor of its own unique projects."
The Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli, spoke to the President of TASAV, İsmail Faruk Aksu. According to the article published in Türkgün, the third part of Bahçeli's statements regarding the alliance he named "TRÇ alliance," which includes Turkey, Russia, and China, has been shared.
Bahçeli's key points in his statements are as follows: "Protecting and developing Turkey's national interests; creating a 'peace belt' focused on peace, stability, and security in our surroundings; establishing long-term friendly relations based on mutual respect and interests with all countries; resolving existing issues with fair and lasting solutions within the framework of international law while protecting Turkey's rights and interests constitutes the essence of our foreign policy. Our party adopts the principle of respecting the independence, territorial integrity, and internal affairs of other states in international relations and expects other states to adhere to this principle as well. Establishing and advancing friendly relations with all countries, promoting regional cooperation formations, effectively resolving disputes through peaceful means as a member of multilateral international organizations, and contributing to peace, stability, security, and common prosperity at regional and global levels are among the priorities of our cooperation-oriented foreign policy.
Based on these principles and fundamentals, our foreign policy aims for Turkey to become a global power that shapes world politics by 2053 as a powerful, reputable, respected, sought-after, and trusted country. In today's world, where fractures within existing regional and global blocs, new alliance searches, and struggles over power balances continue, Turkey, in our view, is emerging as a regional power and a significant global actor, strengthening its role as a game-maker and game-breaker while steadfastly protecting its sovereignty rights. The material and cultural capital elements that Turkey possesses, along with its interest, skills, and achievements regarding contemporary developments, offer significant opportunities to our nation. Turkey, which can evaluate the opportunities presented by being at the center of Eurasian geopolitics with a strategic vision, will be able to implement political, economic, and cultural cooperation projects to ensure and maintain peace and stability in the region.
The establishment of the Organization of Turkic States has generated a high level of excitement both intellectually, politically, and emotionally. Following the establishment of the Organization of Turkic States, the acceptance of the Turkish World 2040 Vision, which will guide various areas of common interests among Turkic states, offers significant cooperation opportunities to these states. The strong common relations to be developed will not only bring Turkic states and communities closer together but will also contribute to regional and global peace. The 'Turkic Belt' grand strategy, which holds special importance in our party's understanding of foreign policy, is based on strengthening the ties between Turkic communities and states united around common history, language, culture, and values, and ensuring that bilateral and multilateral dialogues and relations achieve sustainable stability.
"TURKEY MUST BE THE SCREENWRITER OF ITS OWN ORIGINAL PROJECTS"
The 'Turkic Belt' has a historical, political, economic, and cultural heritage that takes into account the elements of the international system, which will extinguish the conflict dynamics worldwide and mitigate polarization. The strategic region we define as the 'Turkic Belt' will emerge as a center of attraction supporting fair, humanitarian, and conscientious developments that humanity hopes for during a time when mankind longs for peace and tranquility, stability, and security. In this context, Turkey must position itself at the center and have a say in every economic, social, and political development happening in its close and distant surroundings, not merely being an implementer of regional and global projects proposed by others but being the screenwriter, director, and lead actor of its own original projects, determining its rules and institutions with this vision, and creating a strong social consensus in this direction.
Turkey can become a main axis and center of attraction for the Turkic and Islamic world by establishing political and military collaborations with Turkic and Islamic countries, contributing to regional and global peace and stability. Our relations with the United States, a NATO ally, should be conducted based on equality and reciprocity, in accordance with the critical importance of these relations for the Euro-Atlantic region and even for world peace and stability, while pursuing policies aligned with Turkey's interests and serving the interests of both sides in terms of economic, political, and security dimensions.
We believe that Turkey, located at the center of Eurasia, which is the strategic focus of the 21st century, should pursue multidimensional and long-term policies aimed at strengthening regional peace and stability and developing cooperation opportunities, especially with countries in the Black Sea and Caspian Basin, including Russia, China, and Iran. Considering the changing and complex structure of international relations, producing permanent and comprehensive solutions to global issues such as terrorism, illegal migration, and climate change is a responsibility that no country can achieve alone.
Our party approaches international relations without any prejudice, evaluating developments and issues within the framework of a realistic, multifaceted, and multidimensional national strategy. In this context, it is essential to pursue a rational, determined, and consistent foreign policy through the total mobilization of Turkey's national power resources, and the Nationalist Movement Party shapes its programs and policies in line with this understanding. We know and believe that Turkey, which was reborn through the national liberation struggle led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk at the beginning of the last century, will rise even further in the second century of the Republic and become a global power. With the governance stability provided by the Presidential Government System, Turkey is capable of realizing the ideal of "leading country Turkey" and building the "Turkic and Turkey Century" with the same spirit, determination, and enthusiasm in the new century of our Republic by mobilizing its national resources and capabilities.
The years when the world economy began to shift intensively towards the Asia-Pacific region have also been a period when new blocs started to emerge. The process that began with the post-Cold War era saw the bloc formed by G7 countries making slow economic progress over time, while the economic powers of the "emerging 7" countries, referred to as E7, have been increasing day by day. These countries, including Turkey, have emerged as the countries that will constitute future economic power. It has been one of the most discussed topics that the E7 countries, which have entered among the world's strongest economies and are all G20 members, have the potential to surpass G7 in the near future.
```html
In a process where the course of global economic and political developments has led to a complete questioning of the existing economic and political order, the developing countries in question have begun to form alliances, collaborations, and blocs aimed at economic as well as political cooperation. The unjust attitudes and behaviors of the defense, security, and economic institutions formed by the states that emerged victorious from World War II have diminished trust in these institutions. The unipolar world design of the USA after the Cold War has been deemed unacceptable by many other countries, accelerating the search for new alternative alliances. These alliances have concentrated in the Pacific geography, where economic power is also shifting.
BRICS has emerged as a result of such an approach. The member countries of BRICS, formed by countries opposing unipolarity in other geographies along with those on the Pacific coasts, have increased to 9 by 2024. According to projections for 2028, while the share of G7 in global GDP is expected to remain below 30%, the share of BRICS is predicted to rise to around 40%. Turkey aims to achieve its goal of being among the world's top 10 economies during this process and will take its place on the world economic and political stage as a new pole in a multipolar world order. Evaluating Turkey's BRICS membership in line with its goal of becoming a leading country and global power, while also seeing it as a manifestation of a policy that looks both East and West without giving up on multifaceted and multidimensional relations, will be appropriate. It would be beneficial to approach the issue in the context of national interests, democratic values, legal and humanitarian principles, focusing on the nature of relationships rather than the East-West dichotomy.
BRICS, which has become a platform that brings together approximately 27% of global GDP and about 32% of global oil production, has surpassed G7 and has the potential to have a much greater impact in the future with new member countries. The desire of BRICS to establish and develop mutually beneficial relations with developing economies resonates with Turkey, especially in this period when the geopolitical weight center is shifting to the Asia-Pacific. Turkey's interest in BRICS supports its desire to increase economic cooperation opportunities, integrate into new international financial institutions, and create economic and political alternatives. Looking at the structure of BRICS, it does not pose a direct threat to Western interests; it is not equivalent to OECD, NATO, or the EU. Member countries like Brazil and India are closer to the West than China and Russia. Turkey's geographical position as a corridor for the transport of goods and energy elevates it to a central position on the East-West and North-South axis. Therefore, in a period where multidimensional diplomacy has become more important in the global system, Turkey will have to continue its balancing policy between East and West in every circumstance.
"BRICS IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE FOR TURKEY"
Turkey, which joined NATO in 1952, has a strong army and has fulfilled its role as a strong ally on NATO's southern flank, which played a crucial role during the Cold War. The profound and rapid changes in the world during the last quarter of the 20th century and the early 21st century have removed Turkey from its position as a wing country of NATO and have made it a central country at the intersection of Eurasia, Africa, and the Middle East.
BRICS is not an alternative to the West, more explicitly NATO and the EU, for Turkey, and Turkey's interest in BRICS should not be viewed as a departure from the West or a unification with the East. Relations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) also carry similar characteristics. The SCO is a regional cooperation organization consisting of nine members: Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, and Iran. Among its main objectives are to ensure and maintain regional peace, security, and stability, to develop multilateral cooperation, to act jointly against new threats, and to support the economic growth and socio-cultural development of member countries.
In line with these objectives, the SCO has expanded cooperation among its members to cover many areas. At this point, the SCO has become the world's largest regional organization, covering an area of 34 million km² and 60% of the Eurasian continent, accounting for approximately 30% of the world economy. Additionally, with a population exceeding 3 billion, it constitutes about half of the world's population. Turkey signed a dialogue partnership agreement with the SCO in April 2013, laying the foundations for its legal relationship with the organization. This agreement was approved by the Turkish Grand National Assembly in 2017 and came into force. It is anticipated that various areas of cooperation can be developed between Turkey, as a dialogue partner, and the SCO, particularly in regional security, counter-terrorism, drug trafficking, and the prevention of organized crime, as well as in economic and cultural fields.
Cooperation with a structure that brings together approximately half of the world's population, 60% of the Eurasian geography, and about 30% of the world economy is valuable from every aspect. Turkey demonstrates that it can influence the security and political equation in Asia by being a rare example of a country that can engage in dialogue with both the West and the East, going beyond being a regional power. These initiatives are not new in essence. Since the era of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey has established Turkey-centered policies with an understanding that looks both East and West, akin to the Seljuk eagle, in line with national goals and interests. The relationship with these two organizations is also a continuation of Turkey's Asia-Pacific opening process, which dates back a quarter of a century.
Today, while the USA and European states are relatively losing economic power, they are also failing to operate the institutions and rules of the existing international order. The UN system, as well as international organizations like the IMF, World Bank, and World Trade Organization, have also lost their effectiveness. Essentially, the evaluation that needs to be made from the perspective of NATO and the EU should be why NATO allies openly support elements, initiatives, and alliances that pose a threat to Turkey. Those who claim that Turkey is distancing itself from the Western bloc should first question both the approach of our NATO allies and the fact that the EU has kept us waiting at its door since 1963, while accepting countries that applied much later and are far behind us economically and politically into membership. In a period where the search for a transition to a multipolar world order is increasing, and new wars of division and power shifts are occurring, it will be consistent with Turkey's future goals to develop economic, political, and cultural cooperation with the East, that is, Asia, without abandoning the West.
"WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING."
``````html
It is inevitable for Turkey to pursue a multifaceted foreign policy by acting with the awareness that it is located at the geopolitical center of the world, paying attention to the East-West and North-South balances. We do not sever ties or give up on the East, the West, the North, or the South. The rhetoric of axis change, ideological deviation, or going in the wrong direction holds no significance in our view. What matters are Turkey's legitimate rights and interests.
We know what we are doing. As I always say, "My mind is always on Turkey." We think about and plan for the rights and interests of Turkey and the Turkish nation, as well as our secure and prosperous future. While a new process of sharing is taking place in the world in the first century of the third millennium, Turkey is going through a very important historical, political, and economic process. In this period, where global hegemony disturbs the entire world, moral values are eroding, and problems arising from the transition from a bipolar world to a unipolar new world order and the pains of moving towards a multipolar order are experienced, we believe that it is a necessity to protect our national existence and to understand the dynamics of the new era with self-confidence.
Turkey, which serves as a bridge between the North and South in terms of economic development and between the East and West in terms of cultural and civilizational currents, is at the center of the world due to its geopolitical and geostrategic position. Unfortunately, all ethnic and regional conflicts, the chaos and turmoil arising from them, have occurred and continue to occur in the region where Turkey is located. Geographically, Turkey plays a bridging role connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe, and it possesses significant natural and human resources.
Turkey is at the very center of the power centers in the East, dominated by Russia, China, India, and Japan, and in the West, led by the USA and the EU. On the other hand, Turkey is a state that constitutes the southern flank of NATO, a major military power in the world, and plays an active role in all its activities and exercises. Geoculturally, Turkey is a secular state with a Muslim population located at the border region between the Islamic world and the Christian West and the Hindu-Buddhist East. In short, Turkey, which is at the focus of geopolitical and geocultural lines, is also at the intersection of world cultures and civilizations. With this awareness, we determine our policies with a multifaceted and multidimensional approach. Turkey's membership in other alliances does not mean a weakness in terms of either the EU accession process or NATO membership. Turkey is still behind its own commitments and responsibilities.
However, a dialogue in which one side constantly concedes, constantly retreats, and is constantly condemned will have no connection with friendship, alliance, or neighborly values. Turkey's geopolitical and geostrategic position requires a cautious, prudent, and multidimensional foreign policy approach. Our proposal for the TRÇ alliance is in this direction, and in the face of developments, it envisions the establishment of the "TRÇ" alliance, composed of Turkey, Russia, and China, as the most suitable option for Turkey, in line with reason, diplomacy, the spirit of politics, geographical conditions, and the strategic environment of the new century.
This situation is compatible with our national policy, our state and nation structure, and our vision for the future. The Nationalist Movement Party has defined the establishment of a new civilization and a new world centered on Turkey as its political mission. The roots of this mission are a manifestation of an understanding based on the historical and cultural realities of the Turkish nation and embracing the future. In the new century of the Republic, our national goal is to rid ourselves of all burdens, both internal and external. The Turkish nation and the Republic of Turkey have rejected helplessness, excluded hopelessness, and pushed despair away with the back of their hands in the new century. They are determined to demonstrate the will to rise with national unity in every field.
```